1.2 Reaction TimeThe distance an object falls in the gravitational field of the Earth provides a sensitive measure of short time intervals.

1.3 Ballistics CarA car rolling across the table fires a projectile straight upward and subsequently catches it, illustrating that the horizontal velocity of a projectile is independent of the vertical force on it.

1.4 The Monkey and the CoconutA projectile aimed at a stuffed monkey hits the monkey despite the fact that the monkey begins to fall at the instant the projectile is fired.

1.5 Inertia BallThe property of inertial mass is illustrated by pulling on a string attached to the bottom of a heavy ball that is suspended by an identical string until one of the strings breaks.

1.6 Beaker and TableclothA glass beaker, partially filled with colored water, rests near the edge of a table on a cloth that you rapidly pull out from underneath the beaker without spilling the water or breaking the beaker, illustrating Newton’s first law of motion.

1.7 Pail of WaterA pail of water swung around a vertical circle without the water spilling illustrates Newton’s first law of motion.

1.8 Revolving Ball and Cut StringA revolving ball released at a certain point in its orbit moves in a straight line in the absence of an external force, illustrating Newton’s first law of motion.

1.9 Inclined PlaneObjects sliding or rolling down an inclined plane illustrate friction and moment of inertia.

1.10 Bowling Ball PendulumA bowling ball suspended from the ceiling by a thin stainless steel wire illustrates the simple harmonic oscillator and the conservation of energy.

1.11 Come-back CanA can, when rolled across a table, comes to rest and then rolls back to where it started, illustrating the concept of stored internal energy.

1.13 RocketsToy rockets illustrate Newton’s third law of motion and the conservation of momentum.

1.14 Rolling ChainA rotating chain retains its circular shape as it rolls across the lecture bench and objects in its path.

1.15 Moving SpoolA large wooden spool (or yo-yo) with a string wound around it from below can be made to move either in the direction in which the string is pulled or in the opposite direction depending on the angle of the string.

1.16 Bicycle Wheel GyroscopeA bicycle wheel attached to a wire with a fishing line swivel and suspended from a support makes an impressive gyroscope.

1.17 Stack of CardsA stack of cards illustrates the static equilibrium of a rigid body by showing an impressive overhang.

1.18 Coupled PendulumsA rubber band near the top connects two rigid pendulums with the same resonant frequency, causing the energy to transfer back and forth between the two.

1.19 Wilberforce PendulumA spring pendulum constructed such that the torsional and longitudinal frequencies are nearly identical slowly transfers its energy back and forth between the two modes of oscillation.

1.21 Random WalkBy repeatedly flipping a coin to determine the direction to turn, one can execute a random walk.

Chapter 2: Heat

2.1 Magdeburg HemispheresTwo hemispheres when placed together and evacuated cannot be pulled apart because of the atmospheric pressure.

2.2 Bernoulli EffectA fluid such as air flowing over an object such as a balloon reduces the pressure above the object and levitates it.

2.3 Bell JarObjects placed in a bell jar connected to a vacuum pump expand when the jar is evacuated and contract when air is readmitted.

2.4 Collapsing CanA small amount of water placed in an aluminum soft drink can is brought to a boil over a Bunsen burner, and then the can is inverted in a bath of cold water, causing it to collapse instantly from the rapid condensation of the steam.

2.5 Hero’s EngineA specially constructed, glass flask containing water and suspended from above by a chain spins rapidly when heated from below.

2.6 Model GeyserA model geyser consisting of a column of water heated from below with a Bunsen burner erupts periodically and shoots water up to the ceiling.

2.7 Freezing by EvaporationWater at room temperature in a flask boils vigorously and then turns into ice when the pressure in the flask is reduced.

2.8 Boiling with IceHolding an ice cube or crushed ice against a sealed flask containing a mixture of hot water and steam causes the water to boil.

2.9 Liquid NitrogenObjects placed in liquid nitrogen change their physical properties because of the reduced temperature.

2.10 Leidenfrost EffectLiquid nitrogen poured over the hand causes no harm because of the heat capacity of the hand and the insulating layer of nitrogen vapor.

2.12 Liquid Nitrogen CloudLiquid nitrogen induced to vaporize rapidly by expelling it from a large Dewar flask under pressure cools the air and causes the formation of a large, dense cloud.

2.13 Heat ConvectionA candle extinguishes when a tightly fitting glass cylinder is placed over it unless a T-shaped piece of metal is lowered into the cylinder, illustrating natural convection.

2.14 Heat TransmitterA match at the focal point of a parabolic reflector ignites by the radiation from an electrical heating element placed at the focal point of a second parabolic reflector across the room and aimed at the first.

2.15 Kinetic Theory SimulatorA collection of small ball bearings in an enclosure, with one side connected to a loudspeaker, exhibits random motion analogous to the molecules in a gas.

2.16 Carbon Dioxide TroughCarbon dioxide from a glass beaker pours down a trough containing a number of candles that successively extinguish when contacting the invisible gas.

2.17 Weight of AirA hollow sphere and a balance scale with a vacuum pump demonstrate that air has weight.

2.18 The Impossible BalloonA specially constructed balloon appears to have a lifting power far beyond that permitted by Archimedes’ principle.

2.19 Neutral-buoyancy BalloonA helium-filled balloon attached to a heavy string rises until its buoyancy just balances its weight plus the weight of the string.

2.20 Exploding BalloonsHelium and hydrogen-filled balloons tethered by strings above the lecture bench burst when touched by a lighted match on the end of a stick.

3.1 Wave Speed on a RopeThe difference in wave propagation speed for transverse waves on ropes of different masses and tensions is illustrated with a stick and two 3×5-inch index cards.

3.2 Speed of SoundThe speed with which sound travels through the air is illustrated with a microphone and oscilloscope.

3.3 Breathing Helium and Sulfur HexafluorideThe peculiar sound of one’s voice after breathing helium or sulfur hexafluoride provides an amusing demonstration of the variation of the speed of sound with the density of a gas.

3.4 Bell in VacuumAn electric bell in a jar makes a sound that decreases in intensity as the air is evacuated from the jar.

3.5 Doppler EffectA reed mounted on the end of a rotating arm produces a tone whose pitch wobbles up and down as the arm rotates.

3.6 Flame PipeA pipe several meters long filled with natural gas and connected to a loudspeaker produces a flame whose height varies with position along the length of the pipe.

3.7 Oscilloscope WaveformsAn oscilloscope displays the waveforms of various musical instruments showing the effect of frequency and wave shape on the sound.

3.8 Beat FrequenciesTwo sound sources of equal amplitudes and nearly equal frequencies exhibit beats if the frequency difference is less than about 10 Hertz.

4.2 Van de Graaff GeneratorA Van de Graaff generator illustrates many principles of high-voltage electrostatics, such as making a person’s hair stand on end.

4.3 ElectrophorusA static electric charge on an insulator can repeatedly induce a charge in a conducting plate, raising the voltage to a high value and making sparks.

4.4 Exploding WireA thin wire or strip of aluminum foil vaporizes when a large capacitor discharges through it.

4.5 Jacob’s LadderAn electrical discharge occurs with a high-voltage power supply connected to a pair of conducting bars close together at the bottom and farther apart at the top, between which a discharge strikes at the bottom and rises to the top and then strikes again at the bottom.

4.6 Tesla CoilA Tesla coil, because of its high frequency, provides a relatively safe way to demonstrate phenomena associated with very high voltages and currents.

4.7 Faraday CageA screen cage large enough for a person to enter used with a Tesla coil or Van de Graaff generator illustrates the fact that a closed conducting surface is an equipotential.

4.9 Chaotic CircuitsSpecially constructed electrical circuits produce chaotic output that can be seen and heard.

Chapter 5: Magnetism

5.1 Magnet and Cathode Ray TubeA permanent magnet brought near a cathode ray tube causes a displacement or distortion of the pattern on the fluorescent screen to illustrate the effect of a magnetic field on moving charged particles.

5.2 Eddy CurrentsA permanent magnet dropped onto a copper plate bounces upward without touching the plate because of the eddy currents induced in the plate.

5.3 Jumping RingA coil of wire wound around a short, cylindrical, laminated iron core is energized to propel a ring of aluminum up to the ceiling.

5.4 Can CrusherA large capacitor discharged into a low-impedance coil of a few turns produces a magnetic field of strength sufficient to crush an aluminum soft drink can.

5.5 Levitated BallAlternating current in a pair of magnet coils produces a magnetic field of a shape and strength that is sufficient to stably levitate an aluminum ball.

6.9 Talking HeadReflections from a mirror mounted beneath a table give the illusion that a disembodied head is sitting on top of the table.

6.10 Pepper’s GhostAn illusion in which a person or other object disappears and reappears illustrates the phenomenon of the partial reflection of light at the interface between two media.

6.11 Tubeless TelevisionA visual image appears in midair when waving a light-colored stick near the focal plane of a slide projector containing a slide of some appropriate subject, illustrating the persistence of vision and the scanning process in television.

6.12 Optical IllusionsTransparencies containing optical illusions projected on the wall or a screen illustrate the role of subjectivity in scientific experiments.

6.13 FractalsTransparencies or computer images containing fractals are projected on the wall or a screen.